Improvement in nail-plate feeders



r. .nu d He TB Err Ke t W.a P Dfw a N Patented Feb.16, 1875.A

A Y 3S`heets--Sheet2. lD.W. KElTH. Nail-Plate Feeder.

No, \59,932. Paen1edFeb.16,1a75.

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THE GRAPHIC C0.PH0T0ALITH.39 8:41' PARK PLAGLNAY.

3 Sheets--Sheet 3 D. W. KEITH. Nail-Plate Feeder'.

A7," Patentevd Feb. 16,1875.

THE GRAPHIC C0.PNOT0.LITH.39&41 PARK PLACE,N.Y.

DAVID W. KEITH, OF WEST WAREHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN NAIL-PLATE FEEDERS.

Specicaion forming part of Letters Patent No. 159,932, dated February 16, 1875; application filed September 1, 1874.

To alt whom tmay concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID W. KEITH, of West Wareham, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Mechanism for Turning and Feeding Tack and Nail Plates, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specih'cation, in which- Figure l isa perspective View of a machine for turning and feeding tack and nail plates, when constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the center of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 'w w of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line x of Fig. 2; Fig. 5, plan of a portion ofthe Inachine. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line y g/ of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a section through the barrel which turns the plate; Fig. 8, perspective of the interior of the nose-piece 7 or forward end of the barrel.

My invention has for its object to produce a simple mechanism for automatically turning and feeding the plate from which nails or tacks are to be made and consists in a pair of vibrating jaws brought together by means of' a lever operated by one or more pins or cams, for the purpose of holding the sleeve surrounding the rod with which the plate is connected, the jaws in this position (while holding the rod) being advanced by the revolution of a cam which comes in contact therewith.

My invention also consists in so constructing the interior of the nose-piece77 through which the plate is fed as to form guides for directing it into its proper position relative to the cutters, thus admitting of the insertion of the plate without stopping the machine, and insuring a uniform intermittent feed, as desired.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, A is the frame-work, in suitable bearings a, in which runs the driving-shaft B, which carries four cams, C D E G, and two pins or projections, which, as they fulfill the office of cams, will herein be designated as cams H I. K is a vibrating frame,

the lower ends of which are connected together by a cross-bar, L, pivoted at b b to the inside of the frame. In suitable bearings c c, rising from the front projecting portion d of the frame K, is supported a hollow cylindrical drum or barrel, M, the forward end of which, termed the nose-piece,77 c, is tapered oif on two of its opposite sides, as seen 4at 10 11. The nail-plate f is grasped by a pair of nippers, g, to which is secured a long rod, h, surrounded by a sleeve, z', and provided with an enlargement, k, the sleeve resting on a support, l, and passing' between a pair of jaws, N N', which embrace the sleeve and advance the nipper-rod h', with its plate, at the desired times, as will be more fully explained hereafter. The object of the sleeve surrounding the Dipper-rod is to allow the nippers and nailplate to be turned slightly by the descent of the movable cutter, in case the plate should not be seated squarely on the stationary cutter underneath when the nail is being cut. The nail-plate f and nippers g pass longitudinally through the barrel M, the outer end of the nail-plate being held in position by springguides m, projecting at points diametrically oppositefrom the end ofthe nose-piece 7 c, the pressure of the springs on the edges of the plate keeping it from slipping in a longitudinal direction while being turned, and at the same time allowing it to yield laterally when brought in contact with the guard of the nailmachine, (not shown,) whereby the delivery of the plate in the required line is insured. The barrel M is alternately rotated, iirst in one direction and then in the other, so as to turn the nail-plate as desired after each cut, by a strap or cord, M, passing over the barrel, and secured thereto at l2 under a cleat, p, which extends longitudinally along the barrel,one end of the strap being secured to a lever, P, and the other end to a lever, R, each lever being' pivoted to a bifurcated standard, S', and operated alternately with the other by cams C G on the driving-shaft.

The cleat p has a twofold office-to keep the strap from slipping, and serves as a stop to limit the rotation of the barrel, the ends of the cleat coming into contact with the sides of the bearings a a when the barrel, with its nail-plate, has turned halt` a revolution.

The vibrating frame K is raised, to lift the nail-plate while being turned over, by alever, V, pivoted at q Within a bifurcated standard,

XV, rising from the frame-Work, the top ofthe Y lever V striking the under side of the portion d ofthe frame l, andthe lever V beingaetuated at the required times by the earns D E coming in Contact with its lower bent end 13. The jaws N N are secured upon a rook-shaft, X, and the jaWN is made to niove toward t-he other, N', by a. lever, s, vibrated by the ealns H I, thereby causing,r the sleeve k,surrounding the nipper-rod, to be seized, after which the jaws N N are rocked forward by the ealns D E against the resistance ot' a spring, t, which returns the jaws to their norm al position after each ealn has passed out of contact therewith, the cams striking an incline, u, formed at the junction of-the lower end of the jaws, thus causing; the nippers, with the nail-plate, to be fed forward the desired distance. After the cams pass oft' the incline u thejaws are separated by a spring, @,andearried back to'their original position, to be in readiness to take a new hold on the nipperrod.

The interior of the nose-piece is, near its outer end, contracted in diameter, which contraction gives rise to shoulders 14, which, from opposite points W, perpendicular to the plane ot' the plate, are inclined toward the end of the nose-piece, so that it a Wrong position should be given to the plate on entering it will strike against the shoulders 14, and be arrested until the barrel shall have been turned to correspond, duringwhieh turnin g the plate will slide against the inclined shoulders w, until it comes in line With the notches in the sides of the nose-piece.

If desired, one shoulder or stop, 14, maybe omitted without departing from Iny invention.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. Thejaws N N', for seizing the sleeve surroundingthe rod h, in eombin ation with the lever s, Gains II l, shaft B, and `cams D E, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The nose-piece e with its shoulder or shoulders 14, inclined at w, in combination With tl1espring-guides m, substantially as described, for the purpose set torlh.

Witness niy hand this 24th day of August, 1874.

DAVID W. KEITH.

In presence ot'- J. W. KEITH, S. A. KEITH. 

